PORTLAND PILOTS (6-2)
WEEK 3 GAME NOTES
 
at Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (3-5)
Dates: Thurs-Sat, Feb. 28-Mar. 2, 2019
Location: Nacogdoches, Texas
Ballpark: Jaycees Field
Video: Facebook Live
Stats: SFAJacks.com
Series: POR 2-0
Last: POR 11-0; POR 10-5 (Feb. 17 & 19, 2012 at Beaumont, Texas)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)
Thursday • Feb. 28 • 4:30 PM
POR: RHP Eli Morse (1-0, 2.03)
SFA: TBA
 
Friday • March 1 • 4:30 PM
POR: RHP Nate Packard (1-0, 1.38)
SFA: RHP Alex Palmer (0-0, 3.60)
 
Saturday • Mar. 2  •  Game 1 • 10 AM
POR: RHP Kevin Baker (0-1, 2.70)
SFA: RHP Trayson Kubo (0-0, 5.14)
 
Saturday • Mar. 2  •  Game 2 • 1:30 PM
POR: RHP Chris Clements (2-0, 2.84)
SFA: RHP Joseph Sgambelluri (0-2, 14.21)
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots continue their Texas trip with a four-game series against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, which begins on Thursday night at Jaycees Field in Nacogdoches.
• First pitch on Thursday and Friday is 4:30 p.m. (Pacific), and the Pilots and 'Jacks conclude the series with a double header on Saturday, with the first game set to begin at 10 a.m.
 
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots won three of four games at the Al Ogletree Classic last weekend, defeating North Dakota State twice and UT Rio Grande Valley once in Edinburg, Texas.
• Portland closer Connor Knutson picked up a save during all three wins.
• Portland opened their stay with a 2-1 win over NDSU on Friday before overcoming UTRGV 6-4 Friday night.
• Sophomore Eli Morse tossed a gem in that first game against the Bison, yielding just one run on four hits, while fanning seven in 8.0 innings.
• Both Portland runs came in the top of third, courtesy a sac fly by Chad Stevens and a wild pitch, which scored Blake Porter from third.
• Against the Vaqueros Friday night, the Pilots scored four runs in the top of the eighth to claim a 6-4 victory; Matt Kelly picked up one of the RBI's in the eighth, and the other three runs scored on an error.
• Portland out-hit UTRGV 8-5 on Saturday during a 2-1 loss, and the Pilots ended the weekend with an 8-5 win over the Bison on Sunday.
• During the win, Hunter Montgomery hit a single, a double, a homer, and drove in four runs.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• At 6-2, the Pilots are off to their best start to a season since 2012.
• The Pilots currently rank 10th in the nation in doubles (21), are 11th in double plays (9), and are No. 24 in ERA (2.28).
• They lead the WCC in doubles and double plays are second in ERA.
• Portland closer Connor Knutson is third in the country with three saves, and starter Chris Clements is ninth nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (15.00); both pitchers lead the WCC in those categories.
• Catcher Dutton Elske leads the league with four doubles.
• 2019 marks the third year for head coach Geoff Loomis, a Portland baseball alum and UP Athletics Hall of Fame member who still holds the UP program career record for batting average (.376); Loomis is coming off his most successful year as the Pilots' skipper.
• The Pilots' 23 wins last season were the most for the program since winning 27 in 2012.
• Portland's 12 WCC victories also matched the most for the program since that same season.
• The Pilots won five WCC series last year, which included winning two of three from regular season league-champion Pepperdine in Malibu during the final weekend; the five conference series wins were the most won by the Pilots since also claiming five league sets in 2011.
• Portland returned 18 letterwinners and five position starters this year, which includes all-conference senior outfielder Cody Hawken.
• Hawken, who was named Preseason All-WCC, had a career year as junior, batting a career-best .323 overall, while leading the Pilots with 10 homers and 36 RBI's.
• Senior Matt Kelly returns as well, bringing a wealth of experience back to the infield and 122 career starts, and joining him are third baseman Daniel Lopez and Chad Stevens, who started every game at shortstop as a freshman in 2018; Lopez joined the long list of Pilots who have homered twice in the same game when he accomplished the feat at home against Saint Joseph's last season.
• Portland's pitching staff is loaded with veterans and features 2018 all-conference picks Eli Morse and Connor Knutson.
• Morse, a sophomore righty, flourished as Portland's Friday starter last spring, registering three wins and collecting the program's first complete-game win since 2015; he had an ERA of 3.62 as a freshman, and he fanned 71 in a staff-high 82.0 innings.
• Knutson, a junior right-handed reliever, made 22 appearances last year, going 4-2 with eight saves, a 2.75 ERA and an opponents' batting average of .191.
• Senior starter Kevin Baker also returns after missing most of last season with an injury; Baker earned All-WCC Second Team recognition in 2017, and he currently ranks No. 2 all-time at UP with a career average of 10.63 strikeouts per game.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
• The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks are 3-5 on the year, with wins over Arkansas State, Wichita State, and UT Arlington.
• The 'Jacks are batting .253 as a team, opponents are hitting .290, and they have a staff ERA of 5.99.
• Sean Moore leads the team with a .440 batting average and 10 RBI's, and Brandon Uhse is hitting .382, has three doubles, and five RBI's.
• Johnny Cardenas is in his 11th season as head coach at SFA, and he's guided the 'Jacks to five 30-win seasons during his career.